Fluorinated organic compounds, specifically trifluoromethylated organic compounds, have found great utility as pharmaceuticals, agricultural chemicals, and materials such as liquid crystals. One major route for the synthesis of these organofluorine compounds utilizes trifluoromethylated intermediates.
A number of such trifluoromethylated intermediates and processes for their synthesis have been disclosed. See, for example, Fujita et al., "Practical Stereocontrolled Synthesis of Polyfluorinated Artificial Pyrethroids", 60 Bull. Chem. Soc. Jpn. 4385 (1987); Hiyama et al., "A Facile and Practical Synthesis of 1-Aryl-3,3,3-Trifluoropropynes",62 Bull. Chem. Soc. Jpn. 352 (1989); and Laurent et al., "Synthesis of Trifluoromethylalkenes and Alkynes. Trifluoromethyl Captodative Olefins", 32 Tetrahedron Letters 307 (1991). Commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No. 5,654,473 discloses trifluoromethylated intermediates of the formula CF.sub.3 CCl.dbd.CHCH.sub.2 X wherein X is hydrogen, fluorine, bromine, iodine, OC(.dbd.O)CH.sub.3 or hydroxyl.
Despite the aforementioned disclosures, there exists a continuing need for the development of versatile intermediates from which trifluoromethylated organic compounds may be prepared. The novel trifluoromethylated compounds of the present invention meet the need for such intermediates by providing compounds with convenient functionality in addition to the trifluoromethyl group.